Thoughts on core aeration

KennyV · Sep 20, 2004

By the way Mark... If you have a tandem disk... Unpin the rear set, and just use the front set. This will lesson the 'breaking up' of the ground, nice clean slices... Works great, KennyV

cp1969 · Sep 20, 2004

( The tines are supposed to fill with dirt. When you make a new pass it will push the dirt out of the tine. If you look at the tines they are cone shaped. I don't know about the one you had but I have the same one and I've never cleaned the tines out. When I go out and aerate everyone of them makes a plug. )

I understand how it's "supposed" to work. But when you can't push the plug out of the tine, how is a new plug going to do it? As far as "everyone of them makes a plug", I would be willing to put some money on that not being true, at least in ground such as we have around here. If it were, I could take one of the plugged-up tines off and drive it into the ground and the plug would be ejected by the new dirt entering the tine. As hard as some of these were to clean, there is no way under the sun that would be possible. Try it on your unit that you've never cleaned. You might be surprised how hard those plugs are stuck in there.

Mark4510 · Sep 20, 2004

It understand how the aerotor would work and I have used it on my lawn with good success. Would I simply drag the disk in multiple directions and expect the same level of results from the disk? The pasture has a gradual slope so I dont want to cut mini drainage trenches and create an erosion problem.

Richard, Good looking horse. Something like that is money in the bank and food for the soul. It's nice to see good performance horses being bred. You are fortunate.

Thanks all,
Mark

KennyV · Sep 20, 2004

Hey Mark, I would have replied sooner but It's so nice out ...

Anyway,That gradual slope is why you would want to do it this way… Going across the slope, thus producing micro terraces to catch the run off.
I would NOT do multiple passes as this will eventually break up the surface.

I have always used a heavily weighted single set from my tandem disk. Takes very little pulling power as you are not really disturbing the ground, just slicing it. Single pass, increase speed for less depth, slow down and it will cut deeper. Also keep the disks straight to prevent their natural digging action. KennyV.

bigpete · Sep 20, 2004

Sure sounds like dry, hard soil to me. I am not familar with the tine design on that Landpride, but my Turfco tines pull a 3/4" diameter plug about 3"-3.5" long. When the tine comes around again during the tine wheel rotation, the last core carried in the tubular tine is pushed out (ejected) through an opening in the tine closer to the hub as the tine enters the soil and cuts a new plug. After a proper pass, you should have cores laying around everywhere as each new plug pulled has pushed the last plug out of the tine.

I noticed some differences in tines on core aerators when I was shopping. A properly designed coring tine is a smaller diameter on the business end where it enters the soil, and gradually a larger diameter as measured toward the hub and ejection slot or "window." I've heard these called spoons before, too, so maybe my terminology isn't quite accurate.

It's also important to get the unit oriented properly so the tines/spoons enter and exit the soil at the proper angle. A little tweaking with the toplink on most units can help cut nice clean plugs when the soil is moist enough. Of course soils that need aeration are the hardest to aerate /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

cowboydoc · Sep 21, 2004

I am not familar with the tine design on that Landpride, but my Turfco tines pull a 3/4" diameter plug about 3"-3.5" long. When the tine comes around again during the tine wheel rotation, the last core carried in the tubular tine is pushed out (ejected) through an opening in the tine closer to the hub as the tine enters the soil and cuts a new plug. 

This is exactly the process on the Landpride. I went out last night and tryed to push one of the plugs out. It was extremely hard to do. Went out and ran it and the plugs popped right out. There's alot more force on the tines than you can produce trying to push one out.

bigpete · Sep 21, 2004

It's that good, rich, black Iowa soil, Doc /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I use a 3/8" hardwood dowel to clean out my cores before storing it for the season.

cowboydoc · Sep 21, 2004

It's that good, rich, black Iowa soil 

My crop ground is certainly good black soil. Most of my pastures though are very little black soil and mostly clay loam.

cp1969 · Sep 21, 2004

( There's alot more force on the tines than you can produce trying to push one out. )

How do you figure that?

I can push one of the plugged tines into the ground--that's all the aerator can do. I can also push on the plug with a dowell with an equal or greater force.

If pushing the plugged tine into the ground is easier than pushing the plug out with a dowell, the plug ain't coming out.